The mouth, also known as the Oral Cavity, is the entry point of the digestive system. It is not just for speaking; it is where the process of digestion begins through both mechanical and chemical means. In these notes, we will explore the different parts of the mouth and their vital functions
1. The Lips and Cheeks
The lips and cheeks help hold food inside the mouth during chewing and play a key role in speech and facial expressions.
2. The Teeth (Dentition)
Human teeth are responsible for Mastication (chewing). Adults typically have 32 teeth, classified into four types:
Incisors: Used for cutting food.
Canines: Used for tearing food.
Premolars & Molars: Used for grinding and crushing food.
3. The Tongue
The tongue is a muscular organ that helps in:
Taste: Contains taste buds to identify sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavors.
Mixing: It mixes food with saliva to form a Bolus.
Swallowing: It pushes the bolus into the esophagus (food pipe).
4. Salivary Glands
There are three main pairs of salivary glands in the mouth that produce saliva:
Parotid Glands
Submandibular Glands
Sublingual Glands
Function: Saliva contains the enzyme Salivary Amylase, which begins the chemical digestion of carbohydrates (starch).
5. The Palate
The roof of the mouth is called the palate.
Hard Palate: The bony front part that provides a surface for the tongue to push food against.
Soft Palate: The fleshy back part that closes off the nasal passage during swallowing.
Key Functions of the Mouth
Ingestion: Taking in food.
Mechanical Digestion: Breaking food into smaller pieces using teeth.
Chemical Digestion: Saliva starts breaking down starch into sugar.
Speech: The mouth, tongue, and lips work together to form sounds.
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